Letters to the editor

Expanding on sustainability

It's exciting to see the recent discussions in editorials and letters-to-the-editor on sustainability at Xavier. This past

week Chris Dobbs and Laura Wallace argued for the worth of sustainable priorities and practices, much more clearly

and persuasively than I would be able to. Instead of looking foolish by trying to add to their thoughts, I'll expand a bit

on current sustainable practices, projects and plans here on campus. BikeXU has been offering rental bikes to students since the fall and continues to support scholars in speedy and cheap commuting. An online ride board can now be accessed through the portal — under the Student Services tab — for students looking to carpool regularly or for specific occasions. The cafeteria not only uses re-usable to-go containers, but has also begun composting

its food wastes. The CLC and Smith were both built to LEED certification, meaning that they use less energy

and produce less waste than a normal building, and the building that will replace Alter will hopefully operate even

more efficiently and toward a better educational experience for all involved. Recyclemania, beginning in March, will

offer dorm-bound students prizes and fun as they work to improve recycling in their buildings. And finally, in mid-

April, Earth Week will arrive along with the sun and plants. Movies, entertaining educational events and more will

provide students with opportunities to learn and get involved with sustainability at and around Xavier. Though I think it's right that sustainability is a priority at Xavier University, the above list — partial and hardly exhaustive

of all that's happening at the moment — suggests that sustainability is already in practice at Xavier, in dynamic,

beneficial and diverse ways. If you're interested in getting more thoroughly involved in these exciting projects and working with creative people, the applications for the 2012-13 Sustainability Internships will be available after spring break. Keep your ears and eyes open.

John Herrick ‘12

Thank you

Xavier—thank you. Thank you for your support over last week's executive elections and for your confidence in our

ideas. We are very excited to get started! We are looking forward to a great year—we won't let you down! If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail us. Thanks for supporting the team!

Seth Walsh, Kristin Sanfilippo and Matt Morefield